Different Worlds But Not So Different People
by tinylexie
Summary: In the summer before his second year at Hogwarts, Severus has the most unexpected visitor at his house, Lucius Malfoy. Before the day is up, both boys will discover that they are more similar than different.
1. Life at Spinner's End

**Author's Note: This takes place in the summer before Severus's second year and Lucius's sixth year.**

* * *

As was often the norm, Severus was woken up from his sleep by the loud screaming of his parents.

Severus laid in his bed for several minutes, waiting for his parents to stop arguing.

The small boy was hungry, but he didn't want to go down to breakfast while his parents were fighting. He didn't want anything thrown at him, and he most definitely didn't want his father slapping him around.

It really was unbelievable. His mother was a witch, and he was a wizard. Yet, they both were often terrorized by their Muggle husband/father.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

But this was the reality of Severus Snape's life at home. He really couldn't wait until it was time to return to Hogwarts for his second year.

* * *

After about half an hour, his parents finally grew silent.

Maybe it was now safe to grab something to eat, even though Severus knew it probably wouldn't be much.

They should have had enough money to live comfortably on, but Tobias Snape was an alcoholic; and with a habit like that, it didn't take long for money to disappear.

Severus could only hope that his mother never touched the money that she had set aside for his Hogwarts education in order to give his father more alcohol.

It was bad enough that Severus looked so ridiculous when he was at home. He really didn't want to look ridiculous at Hogwarts as well. The last thing that he needed was for James Potter and his friends to have even more reasons to torment him.

* * *

Severus slowly and cautiously made his way out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. He kept his ears open for any sounds from his parents. But all he heard was silence.

Hopefully his parents would remain civil enough with each other just long enough for Severus to grab a piece of bread or some fruit.

When Severus finally entered the kitchen, both of his parents were reading newspapers. His father was reading the Muggle newspaper, while his mother was reading the _Daily Prophet_.

But at least neither of them looked bloody or bruised. At least not yet. The day was still long.

Neither of his parents acknowledged his presence as Severus gingerly sat down, but that was just fine with him. In his experience, it was safer to not draw attention to yourself.

Severus looked at the food that was on the table. There wasn't much. There wasn't any fruit. But there was bread, and for once, it didn't look moldy. And there was also butter, a rare luxury.

* * *

Severus had just finished eating a piece of buttered bread when there was suddenly a knock on the front door.

All three members of the Snape family looked up at surprise. They rarely had any visitors. Severus had not even told Lily where he lived, as he didn't want her being in a place like this.

"Well, don't just sit there," Tobias finally snapped at his wife. "Find out who's at the door, so that you can tell them to go away."

Eileen glared angrily at her husband, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she silently stood up and made her way out of the kitchen.

Severus grabbed for another piece of bread as his father grabbed for his bottle of cheap whiskey.

As Severus ate, he heard the sound of the door opening. He then heard the sound of his mother talking with someone. The small boy, however, couldn't hear their mysterious visitor.

Then, Severus heard his mother's voice raise in volume. It was clear that she was snapping angrily at whoever it was that was at the door. Moment later, however, she had grown quiet again.

Severus then heard the sound of the door closing, followed by silence.

Moments later, Eileen walked back into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Tobias," she said, "but he was very insistent on seeing Severus."

Severus looked up in surprise. Who would actually want to see him? And how in the world did this person know where he lived?

Their visitor then walked into the kitchen.

Severus blinked his eyes several times. Then, his jaw dropped.

He had to be hallucinating. He just had to be. Because there was no way that Lucius Malfoy was actually standing in his kitchen.


	2. Information on Severus

**Author's Note****: Eileen Snape (nee Prince's) blood status is not stated with 100% accuracy on Harry Potter Wiki, but I decided to make her a Pureblood.**

* * *

Lucius did not waste his time on many people. But when he actually interested in someone, he would take the time to find more information on them.

Lucius had always been a curious boy, especially when it was something or someone worth being curious over.

And Severus Snape was one of those few people that was actually worth Lucius's curiosity.

The younger boy was clearly intelligent, and he was very knowledgeable in both the Dark Arts and in Potions. In fact, the boy was more knowledgeable in those two fields than even most seventh year Slytherins.

Had the House of Slytherin truly fallen that far, or was Severus simply that good and talented?

The surname Snape, however, was not familiar to Lucius; and the Malfoy heir knew that he knew every family that was worth knowing. His father had made sure of that.

But he did not know Severus's family. That meant that Severus was either from an insignificant Pureblood family (and there were few of them that weren't quite bad enough to be considered Blood-Traitors but at the same time weren't important enough to be worth knowing), or he was a Half-Blood.

There was no way that Severus could be a Mudblood. He had come to Hogwarts knowing way too many curses for that.

Fortunately, Lucius knew where he could go to find more information on Severus's background.

The Department of Magical Education at the Ministry of Magic had records on all students that had attended or were currently attending Hogwarts. And those records included information such as blood-status and a student's ancestry.

Not just anyone could access this information. You needed special permission first. The records, after all, contained sensitive information such as grades and where a student lived.

Lucius, however, was the son of Abraxas Malfoy. And there were few people that were willing to deny Abraxas Malfoy access to whatever information he wanted. And since Lucius was an extension of his father, he wouldn't be denied access to the information either.

It was on occasions like this that Lucius was actually glad Abraxas was his father. Lucius could have tried to sneak into the department, but the records were protected by powerful charms and wards. And since Lucius was still an underage wizard, he couldn't perform any magic without it being detected (as the Ministry didn't have the same non-detectable charms that Malfoy Manor did).

He was going to have to walk into the Department of Magical Education and demand what he wanted. No one was going to say anything. No one would dare challenge to son of Abraxas Malfoy, as they didn't want to risk the old man's wrath.

It didn't matter at all to anyone that Abraxas and Lucius hated each other with a burning passion. Lucius was still Abraxas's son, and even though Abraxas often found his son to be nothing but a disappointment, he also wouldn't tolerate anyone inferior to him (which was basically everyone except for the Dark Lord) disrespecting his son.

* * *

Lucius walked into the proper office within the department and told the wizard sitting at the desk that he wanted to look at student records for research reasons.

The wizard didn't ask Lucius what type of research he was doing, as the man didn't want to get involved in any Malfoy business. Instead, the wizard automatically led Lucius to another room.

Before entering the room, the wizard waved his wand and performed several nonverbal incarnations, so that Lucius could safely enter.

* * *

None of the walls in the room could be seen, as they were completely covered by drawers.

"Just yell for me if you need help with anything," the wizard told Lucius.

"Of course," Lucius drawled. "Thank you."

The wizard turned and left the room, leaving Lucius completely alone.

The teenage boy walked over to the line of drawers labeled "1971," as that was the year Severus had started Hogwarts.

Lucius then looked for the drawer labeled "S." He opened up the drawer and began to look through the folders until he finally saw the one labeled "Snape, Severus."

Lucius opened up the folder and began to go through it.

Severus was the son of Tobias Snape and Eileen Snape (nee Prince). Tobias was a Muggle, while Eileen was a Pureblood.

Lucius's lips curled slightly. What had Severus's mother been thinking, marrying a Muggle? And he had not even been a Mudblood. He had been completely ignorant of magic until he had married Eileen.

Lucius had heard before of the Prince family, but his father had always spoken of them with contempt. Now he knew why. There was nothing more shameful for a Pureblood than to marry a complete Muggle.

And how could Eileen have exposed the Wizarding World and risked putting it in danger just to marry a Muggle? Lucius didn't care what Dumbledore said. There was no way that every single Muggle in the world would be happy with the news that wizards and witches were actually real.

Didn't Dumbledore know that wizards and witches had been burned because of their magic?

There was a reason why the Wizarding World and the Muggle World were kept separated.

Yet, none of that had stopped Eileen from marrying a Muggle.

How Severus had been with so many brain cells was a true mystery, as his mother clearly had none.

Lucius could not help but feel pity for Severus. The boy deserved so much better than what he had.

Shaking his head in disgust, Lucius continued to go through the folder until he found Severus's address.

Spinner's End.


	3. No Sense of Pride

It was the Blood-Traitor that had opened the door. Well, at least it had not been the Muggle. That was the only positive that Lucius could think of. It wasn't much of a positive, though.

"I'm sorry," Eileen spoke, "but we don't have time for any visitors right now."

"You have time for me," Lucius replied in a haughty voice. "Besides, I'm not here to see _you_. I'm here to see Severus."

"Severus?" Eileen said in surprise. "Why would you want to see my son?"

Why should it come as such a surprise to the woman that someone would actually be interested in her son? Was she ashamed of him or something? Did she have no pride in him?

How could she not be proud of someone who was clearly destined for greatness?

"That's none of your business," Lucius sneered. "Now, tell me, is Severus home or not?"

"Manners, boy," Eileen snapped, her voice raising in volume.

"You're not worthy to be treated with any manners, you filthy Blood-Traitor," Lucius hissed. "You are a disgrace to us proper Purebloods."

Eileen looked at Lucius from head to feet. Recognition suddenly began to appear in her eyes.

"You're Abraxas Malfoy's son, aren't you?" she said in a much quieter voice.

"My name is Lucius," the blond-haired teenager snarled. "Now, for the last time, is Severus home or not?"

"Severus is eating breakfast right now," Eileen answered.

"So, does that mean I can come in or not," Lucius said, his tone of voice indicating that it was more of a command than an actual question.

Eileen stepped aside for him. "Come in," she said.

"You're much too kind," Lucius returned mockingly as he entered the house.

Eileen closed the door behind them and motioned for Lucius to follow her.

* * *

As Lucius followed Eileen through the house, his level of disgust only continued to grow.

The house, while not big, could have been decent-looking if the Snapes had actually put any care or pride into it.

A little bit of paint, for instance, could have done wonders for the wall, which was chipping in several places.

Lucius had to step over a hole in the floor as he walked. Honestly, it was amazing that the house had not yet completely fallen apart.

What was wrong with Severus's mother? Wasn't she a witch? Why didn't she just wave her wand and fix everything up?

There was no worse Blood-Traitor than one who insisted on living like a Muggle and pretending as if they had no magic. Were they friends with the Weasleys?

And was Eileen Snape's husband that ashamed of her magic? If so, then why was she still with him? No Muggle was worth giving up your magic for. Lucius couldn't imagine a life in which he wasn't able to do magic. He didn't want to imagine such a life.

Did Eileen Snape have no pride in herself?

This was the house of a typical Muggle or a typical Blood-Traitor. They had no pride whatsoever. They truly were inferior.

Abraxas Malfoy was the true definition of a bastard, but at least he had pride. He wouldn't even be caught dead in a place like this.

And he would be angry beyond words if he ever found out that his son was in a place like this, just because he wanted to visit a Half-Blood.

How could someone with Severus's intelligence and abilities be a Half-Blood? It didn't make any sense.

None of this was right. A wizard with Severus's potential should not be living in a place like this, regardless of his blood status. He was way too talented to not be given the proper credit that he deserved. This was just further proof that there was no such thing as justice or fairness in the world.

* * *

Eileen walked into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Tobias," she said, "but he was very insistent on seeing Severus."

Lucius stepped into the kitchen and looked around. It was dingy. The whole house was dingy.

Severus should not be living in a place like this.

Lucius then looked at the table. All he saw was bread. What kind of breakfast was that? They weren't locked in a dungeon or anything like that. There was no reason for them not to have proper food on the table.

And that whiskey was clearly cheap, even though Lucius had a feeling it still cost more than the bread.

Lucius then finally looked at Severus.

The younger boy's jaw dropped at the sight of Lucius.

The blond-haired teenager gave Severus a slight nod in acknowledgement.

Lucius then looked closer at the younger boy.

Severus's clothes were ill-fitting and mismatched. It looked deliberate.

Lucius had to struggle to control his rage. How could Severus's parents treat him like this? Was he being punished for some offense?

Lucius looked around the kitchen once more. No, Severus wasn't being punished. This was how he was always treated.

All sense of pride was completely nonexistent in this house.


	4. Battle of the Freaks

"Who the hell is this?" Tobias asked in an annoyed voice that was bordering on anger.

"Someone who's here to see Severus, not you, you filthy Muggle," Lucius hissed in contempt.

Tobias stood up angrily but also somewhat shakily.

_He's not drunk yet,_ Severus thought, _but he's already had quite a bit to drink. It's not going to take much for him to really lose his temper._

Along with his fear that his father would soon be flying into a blind rage, Severus was still trying to get over the shock that Lucius was actually standing in his kitchen.

Severus actually did like Lucius well-enough, even though the older boy was sometimes pompous. Lucius, after all, had always treated Severus with respect; and Severus was not used to receiving respect from anyone.

However, Severus never would have thought that Lucius would actually be standing here in his kitchen.

Severus was also afraid of what Lucius might do to his father. There was a reason why no one dared to mess around with the aristocratic wizard at Hogwarts.

"So, you're one of _them_," Tobias sneered at Lucius. "You're one of those _freaks_."

"You're the one who's a freak," Lucius snarled dangerously, his eyes flashing with undeniable anger.

Tobias turned to look at his wife. "Get him out of here," he ordered. "It's enough that I have to tolerate my son being a freak. But there's no way that I'm going to tolerate another one of them being in my house."

"You dare to tell a witch what to do," Lucius growled.

Lucius then turned to look at Eileen. "And you allow him to do so," he snarled at her. "You almost disgust me more than he does."

"You will not speak that way in my house!" Tobias bellowed.

Lucius looked around, with a mocking expression on his face.

"Only a filthy, pathetic Muggle like yourself would be proud to call a place like this a house," he said in a taunting voice. "Could anyone possibly sink any lower? I almost feel sorry for you."

Tobias stood up so abruptly that he knocked his chair over.

"I think it's time for you to learn your proper place, you freak," Tobias spoke in a soft but deadly voice.

Lucius didn't flinch at all. In fact, his only response was to roll his eyes in boredom.

Tobias's face twisted into a dangerous, angry expression. There was almost a crazed look in his eyes.

Perhaps he had drank more whiskey than Severus had originally thought.

Lucius, meanwhile, just continued to look bored.

"Tobias, sit back down," Eileen said in a desperate voice. "That's Abraxas Malfoy's son."

"My name is Lucius," the blond-haired teenager hissed at her.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Tobias snapped at his wife.

"Abraxas Malfoy is a very dangerous, powerful, and wealthy wizard," Eileen tried to explain to her husband, "and I don't want him to be the next one knocking on our door because you threatened his son. He has a lot of influence in the Wizarding World. He can pretty much do whatever he wants."

Tobias looked back at Lucius, realizing what exactly his wife's words meant.

"You're one of those _Purebloods_, aren't you?" Tobias sneered, a look of disgust on his face. "You're the worse ones of your kind, thinking that you're better than everyone else."

"That's because us Purebloods are better than everyone else, you hypocrite," Lucius replied. "_You_ married a Pureblood. Why? Did you like the idea of making someone superior to you submit to you like your wife here does? Is your self-esteem truly that low? And just when I thought you couldn't get more pathetic, you do."

With a roar of anger, Tobias grabbed a knife from the table and charged at a smirking Lucius.


	5. A Struggle for Control

"Father, no, don't!" Severus screamed in desperation, getting up and grabbing Tobias's arm.

Tobias, however, was able to easily shake his small son off his arm.

Severus fell down to the floor. All he could now do was look on in horror as his father drifted closer and closer to Lucius, the knife still in his hand.

Eileen, meanwhile, just stood there, completely frozen in place.

It had been quite a while since Severus had seen his father looking this murderous.

And it had been quite a while Severus had seen his father so angry that he had grabbed a knife with the intention of using it as a weapon.

* * *

It had happened the first time Severus had done some accidental magic. They had been sitting around the table for dinner when Tobias had suddenly began to yell at Eileen for burning the meat.

It was not often they had meat for dinner, and it had looked and tasted just fine to Severus. His father, however, was impossible to please.

At one point in his tirade, Tobias had grabbed his knife and had then waved it threateningly at Eileen.

Severus had been truly worried about his mother's safety, especially when Tobias had stood up, the knife still in his hand.

Tobias had then began to make his way towards his wife. But before he could reach her, his chair had suddenly moved from its position on the floor and had struck him in the back of his legs.

The impact had caused Tobias to fall down to the floor, roaring in both pain and anger.

Tobias had then directed his attention to his son.

"You did that, you freak, didn't you!" Tobias had bellowed. "How dare you use your filthy magic against me, as if you were better than me! Well, I'm not going to tolerate that taint of yours, boy!"

Tobias had then grabbed the knife from off the floor before getting to his feet. Then, knife in hand, he had charged at his small son.

Severus had done the only thing that he could think of. He had ran. He had ran around the house until he had finally been able to find a place to hide.

He had not came out of his hiding place until the afternoon of the next day, and that was only because he had been desperately hungry.

Fortunately, his father had not said anything as he had hesitantly sat down at the table.

From that day on, however, Severus had always been careful to control his anger whenever his father was near.

* * *

At the current moment, though, it was neither Severus nor his mother that was being threatened with a knife.

It was Lucius.

To the aristocratic wizard's credit, however, he didn't run. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he just stood there, waiting for the coming assault.

Severus noticed that Lucius was no longer smirking. At the same time, though, the older boy didn't look to be afraid or worried. In fact, there was an almost calm expression on his face, as if this was something that happened to him on a regular basis.

Severus also noticed the way that Lucius held himself. He was not holding himself in the way that anyone would instinctively do so if they were about to be attacked.

No, Lucius was holding himself like someone who had been struck before. He was ready for the assault coming his way.

But who in the world could have possibly attacked Lucius sometime in the past? He was Lucius Malfoy, King of the Purebloods. He was from an ancient, noble, and wealthy family. It didn't make any sense.

Yet, even though Severus was not regularly physically abused by his father, he had received enough beatings to know the signs.

And by the way that Lucius was holding himself, he most definitely had been abused before, clearly more than just once or twice.

It wasn't something you could hide in your body language. It was an unconscious thing. It was an instinct that couldn't be stopped.

Most people would not have made much out of the way that Lucius was holding himself, but Severus was able to see what they would have missed because they didn't understand it like he did.

* * *

Lucius did not react until the last possible moment. Just when Tobias was about ready to bring the knife down on him, the teenage boy lashed out faster than the eye could blink. He grabbed for Tobias's wrists.

A struggle then ensured between Tobias and Lucius, as both fought for control of the knife.

Tobias was larger and physically stronger than Lucius, but he was also slightly drunk.

And Lucius was clearly stronger and more of a fighter than most people would probably ever give him credit for. Until recently, Severus had been one of those people.

_Do something!_ a voice inside Severus's head screamed as he continued to watch the struggle between his father and his classmate.

But what could he do? He was so small and so physically weak. If he tried to interfere, he would probably get hurt himself. He would probably cause more harm than good.

Eventually, both Tobias and Lucius ended up on the floor, both of them still fighting for possession of the knife.

Finally, though, Lucius managed to get the upper-hand. He managed to wrap his hand firmly around the knife's hilt. He then used the knife to slash at Tobias's arm.

It was enough to get Tobias to release his grip on Lucius. Tobias, in fact, pulled himself away from the teenage boy.

Tobias then shakily made his way back to his feet, breathing heavily.

Lucius did the same, but with much more confidence and a lot less trembling.

From his place still on the floor, Severus looked over at his father. The cut on Tobias's arm was not deep, but it clearly needed attention.

Severus then looked over at Lucius. The older boy was just standing there, breathing ever so slightly. It was clear to Severus, however, that Lucius was poised and ready for another assault if one was to come.

Tobias, however, did not seem eager to continue to fight. He was not yet that drunk.

Severus then heard sudden movement. It was his mother, making her way over to Tobias.

"Come, Tobias," Eileen spoke, "let me go clean up that wound so that I can bandage it up."

"What are you, a Muggle?" Lucius snarled at Eileen. "Use your wand, your filthy Blood-Traitor. Or did this Muggle drain you of all your magic?"

Eileen looked at Lucius for a moment, the expression on her face unreadable. But then, she turned her attention back to her husband. She pulled out her wand and used it to heal the cut on Tobias's arm.

Tobias looked at Eileen with an almost dazed expression in his eyes as she healed him.

"Let me help you to your bed," Eileen then said to her husband. "A little bit of rest will do you some good."

"Do you know how to perform the Memory Charm?" Lucius asked Eileen.

"What?"

"Do you know how to perform the Memory Charm?" Lucius repeated, his voice clearly reflecting his annoyance. "I don't care what your husband does to you, but I do care about Severus. I don't want him getting hurt later because that Muggle of yours is angry at me."

Severus looked at Lucius with a newfound fondness. The younger boy was not used to anyone being concerned over his well-being.

"I would perform the Memory Charm myself," Lucius continued. "However, I'm still underage, and your husband is not worth any hassle from the Ministry."

"I'll take care of it," Eileen promised.

"See to it that you do," Lucius sneered. "I will be checking up on Severus regularly to make sure that things aren't more horrible than they already are. And if I ever see that Severus is hurt in any way, there will be severe consequences."

A part of Severus wanted to feel insulted that someone actually thought that he needed a babysitter to protect him. But another part of him was touched and grateful that someone actually cared enough about him to want to check up on him.

Tobias, meanwhile, didn't protest as his wife led him out the kitchen. Perhaps he was drunker than Severus had thought. But then again, Tobias usually got angrier with the more alcohol that he drank.

Perhaps he was just in a state of shock.

Whatever was going on, though, Severus wasn't going to complain. He was just glad that his father wasn't even angrier than he had been before he had tried to attack Lucius.

And speaking of Lucius.

Now that Tobias and Eileen were out of the room, Lucius had once again directed his attention to the boy he had come all this way to see.

Severus Snape.


	6. A Study of Social Class

From his position on the floor, Severus looked up at Lucius.

It was at that moment that Severus really noticed what Lucius was wearing.

Lucius was wearing expensive robes, clearly more expensive than his Hogwarts robes.

Severus looked down at his own clothes that he was wearing. They were mismatched and of poor quality.

Severus then looked around his house. It was filthy and falling apart.

Severus fitted in this type of environment.

Lucius, on the other hand, looked completely out of place. He didn't belong in a place like this.

Yet, Lucius was still here.

Lucius suddenly walked over to Severus. Then, he offered his hand to the younger boy.

Severus looked at the hand and then at Lucius in surprise.

Lucius gave him an encouraging nod.

Severus took Lucius's hand and allowed the older boy to pull him to his feet.

"Are you all right?" Lucius asked.

"I'm fine," Severus mumbled, trying not to show his embarrassment. "What about you? Are you hurt in any way?"

"It's going to take more than some filthy Muggle to bring me down," Lucius replied in a haughty voice.

Severus looked down at the floor. He was feeling more and more embarrassed with each passing moment.

"I'm going to go check on your mother," Lucius suddenly spoke. "I want to make sure that she does perform the Memory Charm on your father."

Severus just nodded his head as Lucius walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

Lucius was not gone for long.

His head still half-lowered, Severus watched as the older boy gracefully walked towards him.

Lucius had always been the definition of grace, wealth, and power.

So, what in the world was he doing here?

"How did you find me?" Severus finally asked.

"The Department of Magical Education keeps records on all Hogwarts students," Lucius answered.

"I thought those records were protected and only allowed to be accessed by very few," Severus responded. "At least that's what my mother has always told me."

"I have Abraxas Malfoy for a father," Lucius returned, his voice strangely emotionless.

"Lucky you," Severus mumbled, trying not to sound bitter or resentful. Lucius, after all, had clearly put a lot of effort into coming to visit him.

"That's what everyone thinks," Lucius responded, his voice turning angry. "Everyone thinks that I live the _perfect_ life just because my father has money and influence. Well, Severus, just because I don't live in a place like this does not mean that my life is charmed. You're not the only one who has it miserable."

Severus finally looked fully at Lucius.

Severus suddenly remembered how the older boy had insisted on being called Lucius when Eileen had referred to him as Abraxas Malfoy's son.

And Severus also vividly remembered the way that Lucius had held himself as Tobias had been charging at him with the knife.

And the way that Lucius had fought. It had been like one who had been in that type of situation before.

"I had no idea," Severus said. "I'm so sorry."

Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "I don't need your pity," he snapped. "I don't need anyone's pity. Personally, I rather be hated than pitied. Hatred means that you hold a lot of importance in someone else's mind. No one would ever bother with hating the insignificant. Pity, on the other hand, is a sign of weakness. Do you pity yourself, Severus?"

Severus once again looked around the kitchen, as he tried to ignore how itchy his clothes suddenly felt.

"I would have never thought that you were so _common_," Lucius sneered. "I never would have thought that you were just like everyone else. You whine and complain about how tough you have it, and you envy those like me that you view as being privileged. Well, I'm not going to feel guilty about being born in wealth and entitlement. Why should I? It's not my fault you were born in this type of environment. Now, what are you going to do about all this, Severus? Are you going to keep on feeling sorry for yourself, or are you actually going to work to try to make your life better?"

"You know how devoted I am to my studies," Severus snarled, now starting to feel angry himself. "You know how I know more curses than most seventh year Slytherins. You know how many tricks I already know in Potions. I do work hard. I work hard for everything that I earn in life."

"Don't try to suggest that I don't work hard," Lucius hissed. "Now, I won't deny that I don't use my family name to my advantage when it's beneficial to me, but that's not the only thing that I depend on. I read. I study. I practice. I am always working to prove that I am worthy of the name Malfoy, and that's harder to do than you would think."

Severus looked away from the older boy, his anger now replaced by shame and further embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," Lucius said, seeing the younger boy's reaction to his angry words. "It's not really you personally that I'm mad at, Severus. It's just that I know you are so brilliant and that you have so much potential to truly be someone great, and I hate to think of you as being like everyone else. I know that you're special, and that's how I want to see you. I don't want to see you as being like the rest of the world."

"Did the records say that I was a Half-Blood?" Severus mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

"They did," Lucius confirmed.

"Yet, you still came here."

"I did."

"Why? Don't you hate me for what I am?"

"No," Lucius replied, sounding as if he was surprised by Severus's question. "You're different from everyone else. Your blood status does not define you."

Severus felt himself turning red from embarrassment. He really was not used to receiving this much praise, especially from a sophisticated Pureblood like Lucius.

"How did you get here anyways?" Severus finally asked. "You must have come a long way."

"I flew on my broomstick all last night," Lucius answered. "I can't wait until I learn how to Apparate this year."

"I really appreciate you going to all that trouble," Severus mumbled, "especially since you didn't have to."

"Nonsense," Lucius replied. "I'm nosy by nature. I have to know everything. So, I just had to know where an intelligent young Slytherin like yourself lived."

"Yeah, you are pretty nosy," Severus agreed with a smile. "It wouldn't surprise me if you knew when everyone at Hogwarts went to the bathroom."

"I'm not quite that nosy," Lucius said with a slight laugh. He then turned serious. "Besides, I was also curious about how exactly a Muggle and a witch live together. It's so unnatural. Both your parents proved that to me. Wizards and witches should never mix with Muggles. Mixing with Muggles will do nothing but destroy us. And people like Dumbledore are idiots for believing otherwise."

Severus shifted uncomfortably before saying, "Thank you for coming, Lucius. I just wish you had something better to come to than this. And before you start, no, I'm not pitying myself. I just don't want anyone knowing that I live like this."

"I won't tell anyone else," Lucius promised.

"Thank you," Severus mumbled in appreciation.

"Do you mind if I stay here for the rest of the day?" Lucius asked. "If I try to fly back home now, I know that I will be spotted by someone. I wish I could cast the Disillusionment Charm on myself. My Disillusionment Charm is very good. I can't wait until I'm no longer underage."

"My mother could take you home via Side-Apparition," Severus offered.

"I don't want anything to do with your mother," Lucius sneered. "She gave up her magic for a Muggle. We shouldn't have to sacrifice our magic just to please a Muggle. No, Severus, I don't mind waiting. I can be very patient when necessary."

"Well, we don't have much food here," Severus mumbled.

"That's fine," Lucius returned. "I have been forced to go without at times."

"Well, then," Severus replied, "if you don't mind being here, I don't mind you being here either. My father and mother probably won't be pleased, but I seriously doubt they're going to say anything. I think you rather startled my father."

Lucius smirked slightly at Severus's last statement. He then sat down in Tobias's usual seat, which was at the head of the table.

Severus sat down in his chair.

Lucius grabbed for a piece of bread and buttered it.

"If it is fine with you, Severus," Lucius spoke as he ate, "I will be checking up on you regularly. I want to make sure that you're all right. I won't tolerate either of your parents hurting you."

"What about you?" Severus asked. "Your father hurts you. Who looks out for you?"

"No one," Lucius said simply, almost nonchalantly. "My father is a wealthy Pureblood with a lot of influence. Your father, on the other hand, is a nobody; and your mother is a disgrace. Besides, it's no longer as bad as it used to be. I'm now big enough and strong enough to hit back, and I can dish it out just as well as my father can."

"Everyone makes it sound as if being rich is everything in the world," Severus responded. "Clearly, they're wrong. Money is nothing more than a prison."

"Money is also an advantage in life," Lucius returned. "Don't worry about me, Severus. I know how to take care of myself. I might fall occasionally, but I always get right back up. And you're the same way. I can tell that you are."

"And I used to think that we were so different," Severus admitted. "I was wrong. I'm so sorry, Lucius, for misjudging you."

"Don't worry about it," Lucius replied. "I'm used to it, and it doesn't bother me. I'm proud of my scars. I'm strong because of them. And your scars are going to make you strong as well, Severus. We may come from different cloths, but they're cut the same way."


End file.
